The Taylor Industries building on Shirley Street.
By NEIL HARTNELL
Tribune Business Editor
nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
Taylor Industries, the 74 year-old electrical retailer and contractor, was yesterday said to have ceased operating with its sole location completely locked down.
“Taylor Industries has closed down for good,” one well-placed source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Tribune Business. “I’m sure they tried to stay in business.” They added that the closure appeared to have occurred within days of the New Year.
A Tribune Business reporter who yesterday visited Taylor Industries’ location on Shirley Street, opposite Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH), at mid-afternoon found no sign of life with all doors and windows boarded up and shuttered at the peak of the business day.
The company’s multiple phones just rang out when Tribune Business called them, while assistant general manager, Bryan Taylor, and sales chief, Derek Taylor, did not respond to this newspaper’s e-mails seeking comment.
Taylor Industries, according to its website, was founded in 1945 by cousins Charles and Archie Taylor. Its store was originally located on Bay Street until 1957, when it moved to its current Shirley Street site, and it retained its status as a family-owned company throughout its history.
It sold multiple heavy-duty electrical appliances, including ovens, air conditioners, freezers, dryers and dishwashers from brands such as Maytag, Westinghouse and Lakeshore. Fans and lights were another of its staple product lines.
The company also offered full electrical contractor services, along with shipping, delivery and salary deduction/financing for government employees only.
Taylor Industries’ closure is another sign of the shake-out occurring within the Bahamian retail sector and other industries, which has already claimed other well-known, long-standing brands such as City Markets and John S George.
Comments
Well_mudda_take_sic 5 years, 3 months ago
Another one bites the dust. The Tribune will be next. LMAO
DDK 5 years, 3 months ago
A very sad sign of the times and on-going bad governance by the clueless and the greedy.
realitycheck242 5 years, 3 months ago
Taylor Industries did not reinvent their business model and in this technological savvy world. With the likes of Amazon and other online retail websites flourishing , other Bahamians retailers may go the same way and the Bahamas joining WTO. will not help the situation..
Mil... 5 years, 3 months ago
This is true... the store had become antiquated. They sadly didn't move with the times.
bogart 5 years, 3 months ago
AREA HAS CHANGED TO MARKET ELECTRICAL SUPPLIES........WOULD BE EXCELLENT BUSINESS DECISION TO REVAMP ......Rental space.... MEDICAL RELATED FACILITY.....LAW OFFICES.... BIG DIFFERENCE IS ......PRIVATE SECTOR ....KNOWS WHEN TO ...CLOSE....AND OPERATE ..........versus... GOVT ...POURING ENDLESS MONEY .....into money losing enterprises...RAISING POPULATION TAXES.....to continuously loose money and noone is accountable...!!!!!
John 5 years, 3 months ago
There will be many more ‘casualties of war.’ Retail and service oriented businesses have just become too expensive to operate. And the major reason is government always looked to these businesses for a source of income. And the informal market doesn’t make it any easier. Persons selling out their homes and others offering services without a established offer lace of business or any license, National Insurance etc. The more government raises taxes and operating expenses on formal businesses, the more advantage persons operating under the radar will have.
TalRussell 5 years, 3 months ago
Yes, or no - regardless, what a rewarding 74-year business run the comrade Taylor family have accomplished. Isn't Bay Street Garage, Milo Butler & Sons, Home Furniture and Donald's Furniture, Super Value, not among the older business families of others - still going profitably strong?
John 5 years, 3 months ago
Milo Butler has its own challenges. It recently closed the upstairs portion of its business on Blue Hill Road. But it also operates a number of new liquor stores. Home furniture has been closed for several years and Donald’s Furniture can tell you there’s little activity in the local furniture business. Persons shop online or in Florida. As for Super Value, it saw its share of hard times as well as it saw days when it operated almost as a single monopoly in the retail food business. Since City Markets closed only now are stores like Budget, Xtra Valu, Solomon’s opening a number of branches to compete with Super Value. Long hours, low profit margins, high cost of operating either prohibits persons from getting into the food business or keep them to a small size that they can manage.
realitycheck242 5 years, 3 months ago
you are right John but i think you failed to mention the 10% in this country who seams to have a lock of the super market, Food retail, Wholesale Business. Along with the stores you mentions, there is the Chinese who are doing very well with their stores popping up all over the place. When a small man like Phil;'s was at Phills food services was on gladstone road try be successful in this area,they are cut down by the established food merchants in this country. As long as Milo Butler has been around they should have had more food stores by now.but the oligarchy in the food business will not allow that to happen. Look at how they fustrated Sandy Shaffer and his "every thing must go" food stores because of his very low prices. Politics also played a role in his food stores demise..
hrysippus 5 years, 3 months ago
Hey unRealCheck, you not of that of which you post. Research the history of Phil's and reason for it's demise, it had absolutely nothing to do with this mythical 10% conspiracy theory stuff you are blaming. As for my friend Sandy, his original business model was very successful, buy close-outs and liquidated stock for very little money, pay very little duty then sell for as much as the consumer would pay. The grocery business is very difficult, low margins, products expiring, employee theft and shoplifting. 5 to 7 % of your stock gone before you make a dollar. /At the Robbing The Hood store he was also paying a hefty rent to a politician or so he told me. I warned him not to go into the grocery business before he started but he had a powerful vision. Shame it did not work.
TalRussell 5 years, 3 months ago
Thanks correction. Meant the Gene Chea family's Palmdale Furniture, not Garfunkel's and Roberts family's Home Furniture.
The_Oracle 5 years, 3 months ago
Mauras, Maura Lumber, Home Furniture, Taylors, G.R.Sweeting, Iron Mongery, J.S. George, Shirley St. Theater, Bahamian Lumber, Some have been gone a long time, others held on for a long time.
TalRussell 5 years, 3 months ago
Yes, or no ma comrade the Oracle, took lots good business management and customer goodwill retention have survived "70" plus successful consecutive business years and still going strong.
realitycheck242 5 years, 3 months ago
Tai ...you fail to realize the role technology is playing in all of this. Nothing happens before its time. Had those companies inovate, and established an online presence. chances are they may have survived. In the case of the Shirley street theatre, their model should have evolved been like the new fusion superplex. But they did not take the first step and implement digital movie technology like galleria cinemas now have.All they had was analog movie technology.(film and reel)
bogart 5 years, 3 months ago
ANOTHER...factor in that any number of these older stores .....just simply hanging on an closing....simply that they may have served their purpose to their owners.......that is to have provided for ...facilitating.....migration abroad.....next generation...education....children grandchildren....moving abroad...and REMAINING ABROAD....starting families ..businesses...abroad and......... no plans to return ...be next succession evolve..continue .....facing challenges of doing business in the Bahamas.....
Gotoutintime 5 years, 3 months ago
Too True---The old Guard are dying out and their descendants have already gotten out, or will be, getting the hell out of town!
truetruebahamian 5 years, 3 months ago
All of the interesting stores shops night clubs and restaurants that were on Bay Street from W.H. Sands to Stop n shop have gove for many reasons. Accessibility, costs and taxes are but a few of the reasons.
pingmydling 5 years, 3 months ago
You all talking a lot of sense. More to the point who the hell gonna fix my Maytag if and when it goes tits up?
MaryMack53 5 years, 3 months ago
Apparently, they didn't give their workers any notice or compensation. Well, my tenant always told me to save at least 6 months pay and rent in your bank account because of times like these.
John 5 years, 3 months ago
The repair business is cohoots . Too expensive to pay technicians to be on the payroll. What Taylor’s started doing is sending two techs out on a call instead of one. And they would bill road time, minimum of an hour. So if you call to get a belt change on your dryer, the belt cost $20.00 but the labor charge will be over $100.00. Another company that services alarms charge $85.00 for service calls and the minimum charge is one hour. So if they come out just to change batteries that cost $10.00 you get billed $100.00. Another company that services appliances try to troubleshoot your problem on the phone. Then they tell you how much it will cost for the technician to come and do the repairs along with the parts. If you have a fridge that has a gas leak, for example, it will cost you $400 in addition to the $167 service call and the parts. They claim they will have to take the fridge to the shop to fix the leak because they don’t do welding in your home. So the total repair bill will be over $600. So most people will just dump the fridge and get a new one.
TheMadHatter 5 years, 3 months ago
As China continues to invade, the casualties of war will mount. They have a great advantage because the west does not believe China is at war.
No defense needed. No response needed. Any response would likely be called racist anyhow.
China loves that - as would any invader.
John 5 years, 3 months ago
And many of the established retailers in the US are missing their sales forecast for this quarter. Macy’s and Target are among them. Then there’s a plan to revive the Sears store chain again. This time the focus will be on online shopping and the stores will be mostly pickup centers . Apple (iPhone) had its worst December in six years and Samsung came right behind and announced their sales of Phones are down by 30%. And Jeff Bezos, President If Amazon, announced that he and his wife are getting divorced. She can e entitled to $80 Billion of his $137 Billion fortune. And exactly what impact will this have on Amazon? Some think the world economy is headed back into recession. Other think these are only ripples in the economy caused be Donald Trump threats of trade wars with China and Mexico along with adjustments in consumer behavior. As smart phones get more expensive, for example, persons will hold on to their old phones longer or buy cheaper models when they replace them. And Bahamian consumers are still suffering from ‘sticker shock ‘ especially on high end items after the recent VAT increase. Government is collecting customs duties plus VAT when the VAT was supposed to replace customs duties. Yet they have a hard time explaining where these additional billions in tax revenue are going. So yes they are taxing businesses out of existence.
John 5 years, 3 months ago
Yesterday Macy’s stock suffered its greatest one-day loss in the history of the stock.
DDK 5 years, 3 months ago
It's all just getting started..........
Dawes 5 years, 3 months ago
Whilst it is always a shame when a company closes, Taylors did not move with the times. They should have updated their store or moved to a more easily accessible location a long time ago. We can blame Government all we want but when was the last time one of us went in there. There is plenty other electrical stores to go to with more modern offerings.
pingmydling 5 years, 3 months ago
Ian Maybon does this mean you will have more time to write letters to the Tribune? Hell , relax now and go fishing, just enjoy life.
Well_mudda_take_sic 5 years, 3 months ago
Can't blame the white Bahamian families who have sold or closed their decades old businesses over the past 20 years or so and migrated their family fortunes and children elsewhere. Successive black Bahamian governments (yes, we blacks!) made it impossible for them to conduct business anymore. Most of them read the tea leaves well. Some have adapted well but still carefully hedge their bets knowing that our country now has a one way ticket to ruination. Why do you think Brent Symonette makes so many trips to Switzerland each year?You can bet his family clearly sees the writing on the wall. LMAO
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